New Outlook
by NickyM96
Summary: Everything finally falls into place for Mulder. Spoilers: Existence. MulderScully Romance, MulderDoggett Friendship


Title - New Outlook  
  
Rating - G  
  
Category - Vignette  
  
Keywords - Mulder/Scully Romance, Mulder/Doggett Friendship  
  
Spoilers - Existence  
  
Summary - Everything finally falls into place for Mulder.  
  
Disclaimer - The characters aren't mine

* * *

It wasn't exactly the most passionate kiss ever. Mulder will admit that. It's not that easy a feat to accomplish with a baby in between them. But he thought he did pretty good. That is until she lets out a big yawn.  
  
"I'm sorry," she laughs, trying to stifle another yawn threatening to escape.  
  
"Doesn't really bolster my ego, Scully. Women don't usually yawn after I kiss them."  
  
"It's not your fault," she tells him, smiling down at the tiny bundle in his arms. "Well, it's partly your fault. You must have passed on your insomnia gene to this little guy. He seems to think he's supposed to be wide awake in the middle of the night."  
  
He looks into her eyes and can see how exhausted she must be. He can't believe he missed that, only focused on the baby from the minute he walked in the door.  
  
"You must be worn out, Scully. Why don't you go take a nap. I'll watch the baby while you sleep."  
  
"Mulder, I . . . " she pulls the corner of her lip into her mouth, nibbling lightly on it. "Are you sure you can handle him? He's just so new . . . and so little."  
  
"We'll be fine," he assures her. "I'm not completely baby illiterate, you know. One of my flat mates at Oxford had a girlfriend who was a nanny. She used to bring the baby by all the time."  
  
"Okay," she relents finally, but not before casting one more wary glance in his direction. "He just ate, so he'll probably be all right for another two hours or so. But wake me up if you have any problems, Mulder."  
  
"I promise. Go get some rest. William and I will just be getting to know each other." He smiles at the baby in his arms, barely noticing when she gets into the bed. He quietly leaves the room, closing the door behind him so he won't risk disturbing her.  
  
He awkwardly sits on the couch, thinking more about not dropping the baby than anything else. He may have embellished his child care experience a bit to get Scully to relax. He's not exactly comfortable with William. What he said about his flat mate's girlfriend was true. She was a nanny. And she did bring the baby by. But what he didn't tell Scully was that he probably only actually saw the baby once. And he never even held it. But he has to learn what to do sooner or later. Now is as good a time as any.  
  
"So, you're that bump that was in Scully's stomach. Nice to meet you, William."  
  
He reaches down to shake hands with the little baby, but the baby can only manage to grab onto one of Mulder's fingers. Mulder gasps at the strength the baby clutches.  
  
"You got a good grip there, kid," he chuckles. "I can't wait to get a baseball bat into your hands. But that's not going to happen for a while. We'll probably have to wait until you can at least walk."  
  
Mulder finds himself more and more enchanted with the tiny creature in his arms. He can see so much of Scully in the child, but he's shocked to see traits that could only come from him. He's like a perfect blend of the best of both of them. That thought almost brings a tear to his eye. He can hardly believe he had anything to do with something as wonderfully miraculous as this baby.  
  
A knock at the door interrupts his investigation. Not sure of who it could be, he makes sure to check the peep hole before opening the door.  
  
"Agent Doggett?" He's surprised to see the man. Things were pretty hectic after Scully gave birth. He hasn't seen him since before going down to Georgia. "What are you doing here? Is anything wrong?"  
  
Mulder protectively clutches the baby to his chest, ready to guard him from any danger that may be lurking around.  
  
"No, no. Everything's fine," Doggett quickly says after seeing the panic on the other man's face. He holds out a box, but figures he should explain it when Mulder eyes it suspiciously. "I have a gift for the baby."  
  
"Oh," Mulder sighs in relief. "Come in. I'm sorry I'm so tense."  
  
"No problem. I completely understand," Doggett smiles, walking into the apartment behind Mulder. The men take a seat on the couch, putting the baby in his own seat that's on top of the coffee table.  
  
"He's gorgeous, Mulder. Looks just like Agent Scully, lucky kid," he jokes, bringing a smile to Mulder's face. "Where is she by the way?"  
  
"In bed, finally. I would go get her, but I just now got her to get some rest," Mulder explains. "She's going to be sorry she missed your visit."  
  
"No, don't wake her. She should sleep whenever she can. Trust me, you both are going to be trying to nap whenever you can. Babies have their own schedule."  
  
"That's right," Mulder nods. "You're an old pro at this, aren't you? Any words of advice for a guy who's not quite sure he knows what he's doing?"  
  
"You seem to be doing okay. You're doing better than I did. I barely touched my son the first few weeks after he was born. My mother in law was there to help us out."  
  
"He's just so little," Mulder frowns. "I'm afraid I'm going to break him or something."  
  
"You're going to have to get over that," Doggett says, sniffing the air knowingly. "Especially when it's diaper changing time."  
  
"I think I'll let Scully handle that for awhile," Mulder laughs, his face falling when he gets a whiff of what Doggett smelled earlier. "Tell me that's not what I think it is."  
  
"Sorry, buddy. Looks like you're going to be doing that diaper thing sooner than you expected."  
  
The expression on Mulder's face is priceless, and Doggett has to try hard to hold in the laughter theatening to break forth. For a man who's seen some of the most bizarre things ever on the X-Files, Doggett can't believe he's terrified of a dirty diaper.  
  
"Relax, Mulder. It's not as hard as you think it is," Doggett assures him. He looks around until he spots the diapers and wipes, bringing them over to where they're sitting. He then grabs a little towel and spreads it on the table next to the baby seat.  
  
"Maybe we should get Scully," Mulder says, glancing furtively towards the direction of the bedroom. "She did say to wake her if I had any problems."  
  
"Trust me. This isn't a problem. No matter what we may find in that diaper."  
  
"Okay, now you're scaring me." Mulder gently lifts the baby from his seat and places him on the blanket. He pulls off the tiny outfit and almost loses his lunch at the sight of the dirty smudges leaking from out the diaper. He refuses, though, to seem like less of a man in front of Doggett, so he trudges on, holding his breath against the stench as he peels off the diaper.  
  
"You might not want to stand there," Doggett warns him before he removes the diaper. "Little boys are notorious for . . . you know."  
  
Mulder gives him a confused look, making it obvious that he has no idea what Doggett's getting at.  
  
"Again, you're just going to have to trust me," Doggett laughs. "Stand off to the side, like I am."  
  
Mulder finally gets into a better position and pulls off the diaper, skinning his nose up at the smell and the sight.  
  
"Kind of like rancid chocolate pudding, isn't it?" he comments, turning to set the diaper as far away from him as he can get it. When he looks back at the baby, he's shocked to see a stream shooting through the air from the little boy all the way over the back of the couch.  
  
"See what I mean about little boys being notorious?" Doggett quickly places the end of the towel over the baby to prevent a further mess.  
  
Mulder can't help but be in awe of his son.  
  
"Very impressive, William. I'd be proud if I weren't kind of grossed out right now," he laughs, amusing Doggett as well.  
  
"I tried to warn you," Doggett shrugs. "They do that just about every time, so beware."  
  
Mulder just shakes his head and continues to clean the baby, trying to quickly get him diapered without any more surprises. Unfortunately, the diapers don't appear to be labeled 'front' and 'back'. Mulder doesn't know which way is which.  
  
"The tabs go in the back," Doggett hints when he sees Mulder put it on the wrong way.  
  
"Oops," Mulder blushes, turning the diaper the right way. He finally gets it on, a little crooked, but at least it doesn't fall off.  
  
"Not bad for a first timer," Doggett notes. "It'll get easier, though. You'll have two years or so to get used to it."  
  
Mulder just groans, not really anxious to change another diaper, let alone another two years worth of diapers. Then he looks at the wistful way Doggett studies his son and he's instantly sobered. He's sure the man would consent to another twenty years of diapers if it meant he had that time with his lost son. Mulder realizes just how lucky he is, dirty diapers and all.  
  
"I can't really complain, though, can I?" Mulder sighs. "It would be a waste of time I can never get back."  
  
Doggett clears his tear clogged throat, turning to Mulder before speaking.  
  
"You asked me earlier about advice. I can only tell you this one thing. Enjoy ever second. Like you just said, it's time you can never get back if you miss it. You never know how much of it you're going to have, so cherish every moment."  
  
"Thanks. I will," Mulder nods.  
  
Doggett rises and walks towards the door, waving Mulder back when he gets up to escort him.  
  
"I can let myself out. You two stay put," Doggett insists. He gets to the door and opens it before Mulder calls him back.  
  
"You're not bad, John Doggett," he says after a moment's hesitation. "You had Scully's back while I was gone. And today you had mine. Thanks again."  
  
"No problem." He's headed toward the door again when he stops once more, this time of his own volition. "Maybe when he's a little older, I can give you a call or something if a case stumps me. I still have a lot to learn about the X-Files. Who better to learn from than you."  
  
"I'd like that," Mulder nods, making his way to Doggett and offering him his free hand to shake.  
  
He may not have liked the man when they first met. He'll even admit to being jealous. The man had seemingly taken his place in Scully's life. But he's coming around now. Doggett's a good guy. He just wishes it didn't take him so long to figure that out.  
  
He closes the door as Doggett leaves, shifting the sleepy baby to his other arm. Looking around the silent room, he realizes he finally has everything he ever wanted. A new family. A new friend. A new outlook on life. What more can a man ask for?  
  
The end. 


End file.
